Jets History

In February 1963, Harry Wismer, owner of the New York Titans, one of the AFL's charter franchises, sold his outfit lock, stock and barrel to a five-man group headed by David "Sonny" Werblin. Werblin's group bought the bankrupt franchise for $1,000,000, and, soon after, rechristened the "new" team the Jets. Weeb Ewbank was chosen to be the coach.
The three-year reign of Wismer had been fraught with controversy. The on-field happenings of the Titans were often overlooked as Wismer moved from feud to feud with the thoughtlessness of a person playing Russian roulette with a fully loaded pistol. In spite of it all, the Titans were reasonably successful on the field. Their real problem was at the box office: they were a disaster. At least that problem was addressed when the Jets moved from the antiquated Polo Grounds to a brand-new Shea Stadium in 1964. (The Jets moved to the Meadowlands in New Jersey in 1984.)